These 9 retailers are closing nearly 1,000 stores in 2017

Some major department stores have already announced sweeping store closures for 2017, and it appears to be having a devastating effect on smaller mall and shopping center tenants.

Despite increasing consumer confidence, it remains a challenging time for traditional retail.

One retail expert told USA Today that this past holiday shopping season was "fantastic," but some department and clothing stores may disagree. As Clark predicted, the season was "highly promotional," cutting into retailers' profits.

Faced with increased competition from discount and online merchants, like Costco and Amazon, some retailers have decided to reduce their footprint.

These are just a few of the big names that are closing stores this year.

Read the full list at Clark Howard.

About the Author

Mike Timmermann

Georgia Power, PSC staff strike deal for $16B expansion to power data centers

Georgia Power and the Public Service Commission’s staff unveiled a deal that would allow the utility to build huge amounts of new power plants, mostly to serve data centers.

Warnock renews push for enhanced job training with bipartisan bill

Employers that come to Georgia “are having a hard time finding workers with the education they need,” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said in a written statement.